Manchester United travel to the Basque Country for the first leg of their Europa League semifinal against Athletic Club on Thursday.
United looked set for a quarter-final exit at the hands of French team Lyon earlier this month, as they trailed 6-4 on aggregate with just six minutes of extra time remaining. However, Ruben Amorim's men staged a remarkable fightback at the Theatre of Dreams, scoring three times late on to win 5-4 on the night, securing their spot in the last four.
The Red Devils have endured a miserable domestic season, ending the weekend in 14th after earning a draw at Bournemouth, but this competition has the potential to salvage their campaign.
However, it's going to take a huge effort from the Premier League side to beat an apparent team of destiny. Athletic Club are just two games away from playing in a home Europa League final at the end of May.
They eased past Rangers to set up this tie and were the standout team in the league phase. Domestically, Ernesto Valverde's side are fourth in La Liga and in a great position to play Champions League football next season.
Here's Sports Illustrated's guide to Thursday's first leg in the Basque Country.
What Time Does Athletic Club vs. Man Utd Kick-Off?
- Location: Bilbao, Spain
- Stadium: Estadio de San Mamés
- Date: Thursday May 1
- Kick-off Time: 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT
- Referee: Andreas Eskås (NOR)
- VAR: Aleandro Di Paolo (ITA)
Athletic Club vs Man Utd head-to-head record (all games)
- Athletic Club: 3 wins
- Man Utd: 1 win
- Draws: 0
- Last meeting: Athletic Club 2-1 Man Utd (March 15, 2012) - Europa League
Current form (all competitions)
How to Watch Athletic Club vs Man Utd on TV
Athletic Club Team News
While the hosts will have Nico Williams available after a brief injury scare, top scorer Oihan Sancet is likely to miss out after he sustained a hamstring injury in Sunday's 1-0 victory against Las Palmas last Wednesday.
Athletic have had plenty of time to recover from their recent triumph, and they could have Unai Gomez back fit to mitigate Sancet's absence.
Williams, who appeared off the bench on Sunday, will start down Athletic's left. His brother, Inaki, could drop out of the XI.
Athletic Club Predicted Lineup vs. Man Utd
Athletic Club predicted lineup vs Man Utd (4-2-3-1): Simon; De Marcos, Vivian, Yeray, Lekue; Ruiz, Jauregizar; Berenguer, Nunez, N. Williams; Sannadi.
Man Utd Team News
Man Utd may have no fresh injury concerns from Sunday's draw at Bournemouth, but they are without a whole host of players for the first leg in Spain.
Diogo Dalot is out due to a calf injury, while Lisandro Martinez, Amad Diallo, Joshua Zirkzee, and Ayden Heaven are also sidelined. Matthijs de Ligt, Toby Collyer, and Altay Bayindir are unlikely to feature due to their fitness issues.
Luke Shaw earned his first start of the season at the weekend but is unlikely to remain in the XI, and we should see Rasmus Hojlund lead the visitors' line after he netted a late equaliser at the Vitality.
Man Utd Predicted Lineup vs. Athletic Club
Man Utd predicted lineup vs Athletic Club (3-4-2-1): Onana; Lindelof, Maguire, Yoro; Mazraoui, Ugarte, Casemiro, Dorgu; Fernandes, Garnacho; Hojlund.
Athletic Club vs Man Utd Score Prediction
Some of Man Utd's best work under Amorim has arrived in this competition, but there's no denying that a trip to San Mames is their toughest trip yet.
For United to escape with a positive result, they're going to have to tame a fervent Basque crowd but we haven't seen enough from the Red Devils, especially with the ball, to suggest they're capable of doing so. There have been glimmers as of late, with United's recent defensive performances in the Premier League veering towards stability, but this has the makings of a tough night for the visitors.
While Athletic may not blow the Red Devils away, they'll could take a lead with them to Old Trafford.
Prediction: Athletic Club 2-1 Man Utd
READ THE LATEST SOCCER NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Athletic Club vs. Man Utd: Preview, Predictions and Lineups.
